Liverpool will cut total of almost £1m a week in wages after Saudi transfers

With the exits of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi Arabia, Liverpool will have cut over £900,000 per week from their wage bill this summer.

It has been a summer of seismic change at Anfield, and perhaps one more significant than Jurgen Klopp will have hoped for in a single transfer window.

Roberto Firmino opted to depart on a free transfer while the club overruled Klopp when it came to an extension for James Milner, with Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also released.

There was another departure at the end of June as Arthur’s loan expired – the midfielder then heading to Fiorentina on his next temporary deal.

Now, both Henderson and Fabinho are joining clubs in the Saudi Pro League, the pair agreeing deals with Al Ettifaq and Al-Ittihad respectively.

In doing so, Liverpool have seen £915,000 a week in wages off their payroll – or a remarkable £47.58 million per year.

Henderson (£200,000 a week), Fabinho (£180,000 a week) and Firmino (£180,000 a week) were among the club’s highest earners, while Keita (£120,000 a week) and Oxlade-Chamberlain (£120,000 a week) also received hefty salaries.

Milner was believed to be earning £60,000 a week after signing a one-year deal last summer, while reports in Italy claimed Liverpool were contributing £55,000 a week towards Arthur’s wage at Juventus.

That frees up a considerable amount moving forwards – and could even be boosted further if Thiago (£200,000 a week) moves on.

However, the Spaniard is not expected to depart at this stage despite interest from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Spain.

Liverpool have already brought in two new players in the form of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Mac Allister is speculated to earn £150,000 a week following his £35 million move from Brighton, while Szoboszlai’s wage has been reliably reported as £120,000 per week.

Even with those additions, Liverpool’s wage bill has still decreased by £645,000 a week, or £33.54 million a year, this summer.

Those funds will be allocated elsewhere, including a contract for likely next signing Romeo Lavia, with Trent Alexander-Arnold among those whose terms will be improved.

Either way, the departures of six senior midfielders plus Firmino have given Liverpool a lot more room for manoeuvre with their finances.

There could be further signings beyond Mac Allister, Szoboszlai and Lavia, too, with another midfielder and a left-sided centre-back on the agenda.